BEA'S BOOK NOOK "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once." C. S. Lewis “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” ― Oscar Wilde

Showing posts with label FMB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FMB. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Read-a-Long: How (Not) to Kiss a Toad (Cindy Eller Cupcakes #1) by Elizabeth A Reeves


Welcome to today's stop on the read-a-long for How (Not) to Kiss a Toad by Elizabeth A Reeves. Legend has it that Elizabeth A Reeves was born with a book in her hands and immediately requested a pony. Though this story is questionable, it is true that books and horses have been consistent themes in her life. Born in Massachusetts, she was quickly transplanted to Arizona by a professor father and creativity-driven mother, who is the one responsible for saying, "If you can't find a book that you want to read, write a book you want to read." In her spare time, she likes to knit, weave, hatch chickens, and chase after her husband and four sons.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Blog Tour: Review, Excerpt & Giveaway of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by Heather Long



Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Series: The Challenge Series, Always A Marine #10
Format Read: PDF
Source: From Full Moon Bites Promos for an honest review
Release Date: January 8, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  ARe  Decadent Publishing

Blurb from goodreads:
For single mom and widow Melody Carter, six months passed since an IED ripped her life apart. Everyone is sympathetic and offers platitudes of comfort and support. Everyone thinks they know why she’s grieving but Melody isn’t mourning her broken heart. She’s ashamed to be grateful her abusive husband won’t hurt her anymore and scared for her child. Born with a mild heart defect, her daughter needs lifesaving surgery and with her funds tight and her emotional scars tighter, she’s running out of options. When she receives an offer for assistance from Mike’s Place, can Melody put her faith in the men her husband called friend?
Have you ever woken up, day after day, to discover your body’s betrayal?

Marine Captain, Joe Anderson Cooper, received the Silver Star for Valor when he led his unit through heavy fire to rescue fellow Marines. Despite numerous injuries, the Captain refused medical aid, insisting that the medics attend others. A broken back and shattered bones put Captain Cooper in a wheelchair and every day is a battle to keep his recovery on track and his sanity intact. When a single mom moves in to the apartment next door to his and he recognizes a kindred—damaged—soul, can he overcome her fear and be the man she’s always needed?

Can these two lonely souls rise to the challenge or will their scars trap them forever?

Bea's Thoughts:

I've been wanting to read Heather Long for a while now so when the opportunity to review this came up I jumped at it. When I received the PDF, I had it converted for my kindle and in the process discovered that I had apparently downloaded for free a Christmas story she wrote in the Always a Marine series. I read it then this one and decided that I like her writing style and that she needs a better copy editor. For such short stories, there was a high level of mistakes. Additionally, the hero in this book has an ever changing surname.

When Joe meets Melody, he introduces himself as Joe Cooper, Captain Joe Cooper, and several times refers to himself in his thoughts as Coop. Then, later, when he and Melody are on the hospital shuttle, he is called Captain Anderson several times. Towards the end of the book he is suddenly Joe Cooper Anderson. It was confusing and annoying. The other problems were incorrect grammar and punctuation, and typos. I can understand a few that are missed but for the length of the piece, there were too many.

Now, the story; I liked it. It's a sweet and romantic story with a happy ending. Long does an excellent job showing us Melody's fear of men, of anyone really, and the lingering effects of abuse. Melody is a devoted mother, and a terrified mother. Her daughter's health is failing and the surgery may not work. After years of abuse, she's scared to reach out to others and she's been isolated from her family. She's relieved that her husband is dead and feels like a fraud for accepting help for her daughter. I did think she recovered a bit too quickly but recovery is so individual that's it not impossible for it to happen so fast. I'd have liked to see some mention towards the end of whether or not she had reconnected with her family but that's a nitpick. :)

Joe is practically perfect, as Melody herself says several times: patient, understanding, always willing to help, never pushes her, etc. But Long also shows us his thoughts so we know that it's not always easy for him and he sometimes has to make an effort to control himself and of course, we see his bitterness over his injuries. Despite his near perfection, he feels real, and so does his family. His mother is overbearing, a pushy broad as my dad would say, but wonderful.

Events moved a little too fast for my own preferences, especially towards the end, but "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" is a wonderful love story of hope and faith. Joe and Melody are people I'd like to have as friends.

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 Also be sure to check out the rest of the Always a Marine series!




 
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 Excerpt


Letting herself out of the apartment, she locked up and turned to find her neighbor locking his door. He caught sight of her and smiled. “Good morning.” His deep baritone hummed over her senses. She appreciated the low voiced greeting.



“Good morning.” She wanted to say something more, but her brain locked up around the words. He eased his wheelchair back until nearly off the sidewalk and motioned for her to precede him. Biting her lip, she found another smile for him. “Thank you.” Her heartbeat accelerated and sweat cooled her spine. She didn’t hug the wall, but she couldn’t help widening the distance between them.



The wheels made the faintest squeaking noise after she passed, and she glanced back to see him following her down the path toward the parking lot. Maybe she should have offered to push. He wore an olive green t-shirt and a matching pair of slacks, though they were cut up the side of the large cast encasing his right leg from mid-thigh to his toes.



He—Joe, he said his name was Joe—met her gaze and gave her another easy smile. His eyes crinkled at the corners and the dimple in his cheek deepened. The sidewalk widened and she slowed to let him catch up.



“I’m sorry. I’m not the best company this morning.”



“No worries, ma’am. Little ones take a lot out of a body.” The buttery softness of his voice washed over her like a soothing balm—like the night before when he knocked on her door and introduced himself. He scared the hell out of her, but not in the same breath.



I must be tired. I have no idea what I’m feeling from one moment to the next. As if summoned by her thought, fatigue wavered through her and she stumbled. The diaper bag swung down her arm. She couldn’t catch it and hold the baby at the same time. Joe stopped the bag’s arc, and gave her a chance to catch her balance.



“May I?” He offered, still holding the bag.



May he what…? He wanted to carry the bag for her and she winced. It was heavy and he…



“I have plenty of room and then you don’t have to worry about it taking you off balance again.” The sound logic quashed her natural objections. She shifted Libby carefully and let the strap fall off her arm. Her internal alarms sounded. Giving him the bag didn’t give him some kind of power over her, but her gut tightened at the surrender of her possession.



He settled the bag against his lap and nodded encouragingly. “Just point me to your car…”



“Oh, I don’t drive. Well, I do but I’m not driving here. I’m actually just staying here for a few weeks and I’m waiting for the shuttle.” She tacked the last on with a grimace. “And apparently I’m as muddleheaded for real as I feel. Sorry. Thank you. The shuttle is scheduled to pick us up here in about…” She couldn’t look at her watch.



“Two minutes.” The captain supplied. “I’m waiting for the same shuttle.” His warm brown gaze turned studious. “Are you okay?”


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About Heather ~ 
Heather Long lives in Texas with her family and their menagerie of animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture books and enjoyed the Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts that her grandmother read to her. Heather believes that laughter is as important to life as breathing and that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real. In the meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next novel.
Find Heather online:
 



Decadent Publishing




For more information about Decadent Publishing authors, books, and their submissions guidelines, visit www.decadentpublishing.com.
 


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There's a tour wide giveaway for 2 Ebook copies of a backlist book in the Always a Marine series by Heather Long (winners choice).

Follow the tour  

Ends 04/30/2013

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Monday, March 11, 2013

Giveaway & Book Blitz - Cheers by Vallory Vance






Blurb ~


As a successful Sales and Catering Manager for the posh Hayden Court Hotel located in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter, Darcey St. Claire is absolutely thrilled to be working on New Year’s Eve.  The commission and bonus, she’ll receive from the two day Guidry Construction event will not only fund her spring trip to New York City, but buy a cute pair of shoes for the plane ride!

Her enthusiasm quickly turns to barely disguised irritation when Vincent Guidry arrives hours early for his scheduled check-in demanding access to his suite.  After he slashes the budget for the event, not even the crystal blue eyes of the former quarterback can quell the anger surging in her chest. That is until he walks into the Chat Noir where she is trying to regroup after her irksome day.

In the private enclave known as the Cristal Room, Vincent willingly lights up Darcey’s New Year’s Eve and just may have lost his heart in the process.

A sexy, short story introducing the characters of the upcoming Rose Gold Collection.
Publisher: Vallory Vance
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Format: ebook
Length: 7500 words
Release Date: November 30, 2012
Buying Links:   Amazon | Smashwords | B&N | ARe | Sony | KoBo |

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About the Author:

Vallory Vance is a color inside the lines, Human Resources professional living in the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex by day. After her family consisting of a husband of almost twenty years, three kids and two dogs have filled her evenings with laughter, she sits down to her laptop to write tales of the first moments of falling in love when nothing else seems to matter.

As a fortieth birthday present to herself, she decided to share her stories of romances that range from sweet to spicy with use of an occasional prop.

Find Vallory online:

email - t[dot]mailhes[at]yahoo[dot]com



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The author is doing a tour wide give away an Amazon Gift Card of $15.00, $10.00, or $5.00 PLUS each will include an eBook of Cheers. Ends 03/18/2013

If you aren't one of the lucky winners, the story is only 99 cents and is available now. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway